iPad 3 Unable to Restore

During an update to the latest ios, the iPad locked up.

Now, whenever I plug it into iTunes, it tells me that it has discovered an iPad in recovery mode & that it needs restoring. However the restore always fails with "unknown error. 14".

I have disconnected all other USB devices from the PC, tried different USB cables & sockets, & done all of the recommended restore functions with the home button & the on / off switch.

Zippo - the restore just keeps failing.

Anybody got some ideas, or am I facing the (long) journey to my nearest Apple store?